THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 


C378 

UK3 

I86OP 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  *][.'j"^,^,^t,,|l'ji|i 

00039136871 


This  book  must  not 
be  taken  from  the 
Library  building. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/addressdeliveredOOpool 


ADDRESS 


DELIVERED   BEFORE   THE    TWO 


XjXai'E3Xl..^.Xt.3r    SOOI3E3a7I3E3S 


OF    THE 


jikoltl  if  Jfiftl'  Cew iiE 


JUNE     6th,     1860, 


BY  JOHN  POOL,  ESQ. 


Published    By    Order   of  the    Philanthropic    Society. 


CHAPEL    HILL: 

JOHN  B.  NEATHERY,  PRINTER. 
1860. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


PHILANTHROPIC  HALL,         ) 
Chapel  Hill,  July  31,  1860.  j 
John  Pool,  Esq., 

Dear  Sir: — The  undersigned  have  the  honor,  in  behalf  of  the  Philanthropic 
Society,  to  express  the  great  pleasure  and  sincere  thanks  of  that  body  for  your 
interesting  and  appropriate  address  delivered  before  the  two  Societies  on  the 
day  preceding  the  last  annual  Commencement,  and  to  request  a  copy  for 
publication. 

The  Committee  beg  leave  to  tender  you  their  personal  thanks,  and  add  their 

solicitations  to  those  of  the  body  they  represent. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obd't  serv'ts, 

JOEL  P.  WALKER,         ) 

JOHN  M.  LAND,  I  Committee. 

F.  J.  HAYWOOD,  Jr.      ] 


ELIZABETH  CITY,  August  11,  1860. 

Gentlemen: — Absence  from  home  has  prevented  an  earlier  answer  to  yours 
ofthe  31st  of  July. 

The  preparation  of  the  address  was  interrupted  by  the  labors  and  excite- 
ment of  the  political  canvass  just  ended,  and  I  am  fully  sensible  of  its  many 
defects  and  want  of  critical  care.  But,  as  is  customary,  I  shall  place  a  copy 
of  it  at  your  disposal. 

Allow  me  to  return  you  my  thanks  for  your  expressions  of  approbation  and 
kindness. 

Yours  truly,  JOHN  POOL. 

Messrs.  J.  P.  Walker,  J.  M.  Land,  F.  J.  Haywood,  Committee. 


ADDEESS 


Oentlemen  of  the  Philanthropic 

AND  Dialectic  Societies  : 

It  is  a  matter  for  congratulation  to  see  the  increasing  interest  manifes- 
ted in  the  cause  of  education.  The  institutions  under  which  we  live  im- 
pose a  necessity  for  a  general  diffusion  of  correct  and  useful  knowledge. 
It  may  be,  therefore,  that  a  sense  of  patriotic  duty,  as  well  as  of  moral 
and  religious  obligation,  prompts  the  zeal  shown  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  in  establishing  and  maintaining  seminaries  of  learning. 

This  assembly,  here  to-day,  participating  in  the  annual  festival  of  our 
University,  comes  to  approve  the  faithfulness  of  teachers  and  to  encourage 
students  to  diligence.  Public  attention  thus  directed  to  the  proficiency  of 
merit  and  to  the  short-comings  of  indolence,  by  presenting  an  immediate 
motive  for  exertion,  becomes  an  incentive  to  honorable  emulation.  Such 
encouragement  is  of  no  small  importance  to  those  who  come  here  fresh 
from  the  gentle  influences  and  indulgent  care  of  parental  hands,  to  find 
the  thoughtless  ease  andirresponsibilty  of  childhood  interrupted  by  a  sterner 
discipline.  Those  best  skilled  in  the  training  of  youth  testify  to  its 
utility.  The  constitution  of  the  human  mind,  requires  some  attainable 
object  in  view — some  tangible  reward  of  profit  or  praise — before  it  can 
overcome  its  natural  inclination  to  ease,  and  bend  to  the  reality  of  irksome 
toil.  The  anticipation  of  future  returns  for  the  sacrifices  of  the  present 
must  be  strengthened  by  some  occasional  realization,  in  order  to  bring 
out  the  best  energies  of  any  human  character.  The  knight,  fighting 
among  the  hills  of  Palestine,  though  fired  with  religous  zeal  and  striking 
in  the  name  of  his  God  and  his  honor,  must  needs  seek  some  nearer 
recompense  in  the  approving  smiles  of  his  lady.  So  the  eyes  of  approving 
friends,  and  the  visits  of  a  generous  public  to  greet  success  with  honorable 
applause,  gives  to  the  mind  of  the  student  new  vigor  and  to  his  fainting 
heart  fresh  courage  for  the  task  before  him. 

The  college  course  so  far  from  being  a  pathway  of  flowers  should  be 
one  of  rigid  training.  The  education  here  obtained  is  preparatory  to  the 
great  battle  of  life,  and  meant  to  fit  you  to  become  faithful  and  eflicient 
soldiers.  To  advance  with  profit  and  honor  requires  no  small  amount  of 
labor,  perseverance  and  self  denial.  The  mere  acquisition  of  knowledge 
should  not  be  the  primary  object.  Useful  and  varied  information  is  cer- 
tainly a  very  desirable  incident  of  your  literary  and  scientific  studies. 
But  the  leading  purpose  should  be  to  train  and  discipline  the  mind — 
to  call  it  from  vagueness  and  uncertainty  to  precision  and  system — that 
its  wandering  powers  may  be  collected  at  will  and  concentrated  upon  a 


•>6  ADDRESS   OF   JOHN   POOL,    ESQ. 

single  point — thus  bringing  into  practical  use  its  entire  activity  and 
strength.  Facts  and  rules  committed  to  the  uncertain  keeping  of  the 
memory  are  comparatively  useless  acquirements.  The  mind  must  be 
made  to  grasp  the  principles,  and  to  work  out  as  much  as  possible  by  its 
own  esertions,  the  logical  deductions  which  lead  to  the  truths  that  it 
would  store  away  for  future  use.  By  no  other  means  can  it  be  qualified 
to  enter  successfully  upon  practical  investigation  or  to  rely  with  any 
-degree  of  confidence  upon  the  result  of  its  own  labors.  This  work  is  not 
in  the  power  of  teachers.  Their  judicious  guidance  and  encouragement 
may  facilitate,  but  can  never  insure  the  leading  benefits  of  a  proper  edu- 
•cation.  A  careful  selection  of  studies  and  a  well  planned  routine  of 
intellectual  exercises  afford  much  assistance;  but  after  all  it  rests  with  the 
.student  himself.  It  is  a  struggle  for  mastery  over  his  truant  thoughts,  to 
jnake  them  the  subservient  instruments  of  his  will — and  the  victory  cannot 
1)6  gained  without  a  fixed  determination  to  pursue  it  witji  unfaltering 
purpose.  The  talisman  to  success  is  labor — determined,  unflinching  labor, 
until  it  becomes  a  habit — a  second  nature — a  positive  pleasure.  Without 
it  there  can  be  no  high  degree  of  mental  training.  Only  by  repeated 
labor  are  the  muscles  and  eye  of  the  artist  trained  to  works  of  skill  and 
beauty.  By  such,  the  gladiator  prepared  himself  for  the  deadly  lists, 
and  the  aspirant  for  the  olive  crown  became  a  victor  at  the  Olympic 
games.  The  aspirant  for,  intellectual  excellence  cannot  learn  too  early, 
that  his  more  exalted  aim  can  be  reached  by  no  less  arduous  means. 
He  will  find  no  road  to  it  over  which  the  rich  may  roll  in  chariots  of  ease 
while  the  poor  walk  in  weary  toil.  Nor  can  he  receive  it  as  a  birthright. 
It  will  not  descend  with  the  manor  and  the  castle  and  the  liveried 
servants.  Neither  can  the  work  be  done  by  hired  laborers.  But,  day 
by  day,  and  step  by  step,  with  patience  and  labor,  he  must  work  out  for 
himself  the  rewards  of  success.  If  he  attempt  to  recline  upon  a  bed  of 
roses,  or  listen  to  the  siren  of  ease  when  she  sounds  her  deluding  notes, 
he  will  never  feel  the  palm  of  victory  press  his  brow. 

Nor  can  there  be  any  safe  reliance  upon  the  native  powers  of  the  intel- 
lect, however  great.  It  is  too  often  true,  that  the  most  highly  gifted  are  the 
most  apt  to  neglect  the  proper  cultivation  of  their  endowments.  Natural  gifts 
of  the  most  brilliant  order  may  be  neglected  and  misapplied,  until  they 
become  rather  a  curse  than  a  blessing  to  their  possessor — serving  only  to 
make  him  appreciate  more  keenly  the  high  estate  from  which  he  has  fallen — 
sharpening  the  pangs  of  remorse,  and  adding  to  the  bitterness  of  regret, 
the  shame  of  self-condemnation.  All  are  alike  subject  to  the  overruling 
necessity  of  depending  on  self-denying  labor  for  the  attainment  of  excel- 
lence in  any  department  of  life.  In  the  private  engagements,  in  the 
learned  professions,  in  literature,  science  and  the  arts,  it  operates  with  the 
same  binding  and  uravoidable  certainty.     Circumstances  may  give  advan- 


,  ADDRESS   OP  JOHN   POOL,   ESQ,  7 

tages,  or  chance  may  elevate  for  a  time,  but  it  serves  only  to  make  defects 
more  conspicuous,  and  to  increase  the  mortification  of  failure.  Nothing 
but  individual  effort  can  secure  individual  excellence.  And  this  is  espe- 
cially applicable  to  the  student,  who  would  bring  into  usefulness,  by 
wholesome  discipline,  those  exalted  gifts  with  which  Providence  has  en- 
dowed man  so  eminently  above  all  the  rest  of  creation.  But  it  is  an 
object  worthy  of  his  best  exertions,  and  within  the  reach  of  every  one 
who  brings  requisite  diligence  to  the  undertaking. 

It  is  difficult  to  over-estimate  the  power  of  systematic  effort — the 
magic  of  concentrated  thought.  To  a  mind  well  trained,  obstacles  be^ 
come  playthings,  and  seeming  impossibilities  vanish  on  its  approach. 
Instead  of  begging  a  pitiful  tribute  it  commands  the  trophies  of  triumph. 
It  i«  this  training  that  imparts  to  the  correctly  educated  man  such  facility 
in  the  management  of  the  ordinary  concerns  of  life,  and  such  readiness 
in  the  discharge  of  duties  the  most  arduous.  Without  it,  by  an  uncom- 
mon activity  and  natural  quickness  of  mind,  some  manage  to  get  along 
with  tolerable  success.  With  some  ingenuity  and  a  few  flashes  "of  fancy, 
they  may  turn  attention  from  the  shameful  confusion  into  which  they  are 
betrayed  by  the  want  of  consecutive  thought.  They  may  throw  upon  a 
matter  in  hand  a  kind  of  flickering  light,  with  now  and  then  a  ray  of 
borrowed  radiance  to  penetrate  the  mist  in  which  they  are  involved. 
With  some  applause,  they  may  play  around  a  subject  without  ever  giving 
it  a  manly  grasp.  But  these  are  mere  scintillations  of  intellect.  They 
catch  the  empty  praise  of  the  ignorant,  but  can  never  command  the  solid 
approbation  of  those  whose  esteem  is  so  gratifying  to  a  man  of  parts — nor 
can  they  secure  that  which  is  so  much  sweeter  than  all  to  the  cultivated 
man — the  consciousness  of  intellectual  strength  and  the  pride  of  mental 
superiority. 

Every  young  man  feels  that  the  main  object  of  life  is  to  discharge  all 
its  duties  with  faithfulness  and  honor.  With  his  mind  well-trained,  he  is 
prepared  to  enter  upon  those  duties  in  any  sphere.  If  he  choose  any  of 
the  learned  professions,  he  brings  to  the  mastery  of  its  principles  the 
undivided  powers  of  his  intellect.  Its  honors  and  emoluments  are  within 
his.  reach,  and  wait  upon  his  bidding.  He  will  readily  outstrip  the  many 
who  press  into  the  race  before  they  have  trained  themselves  to  run  it. 
If  his  country  call  him  to  her  councils,  he  is  able  to  stand  among  her 
benefactors  with  pride  and  dignity.  If  he  engage  in  the  unostentatious, 
but  not  less  honorable,  pursuits  of  humble  life,  he  is  saved  from  manifold 
perplexities  that  befall  his  less  fortunate  neighbors.  Method  and  pre- 
cision mark  his  arrangements,  securing  in  their  operation,  satisfaction  and 
success.  Properly  trained  and  cultivated  men  ai-e  the  pride  of  a  nation. 
To  them  must  be  intrusted  the  intricate  affairs  of  government,  requiring- 
acuteness  of  mind  and  a  well-balanced  judgment.     Judicial  duties,  espe- 


8  ADDRESS   OF  JOHN   POOL,   ESQ. 

ciallj,  require  tliat  close,  discriminating  and  consecutive  thought  which  can 
result  only  from  a  patient  and  thorough  discipline  of  the  mind.  With- 
out men  so  qualified,  any  government  fails  in  many  of  its  most  important 
ends;  and  instead  of  securing  right  and  upholding  truth,  justice  becomes 
but  a  hazard  in  its  tribunals — and^ultimately  it  must  be  overwhelmed  with 
confusion  and  disgrace.  Happy  is  the  nation  and  fortunate  the  age  that 
prepares  for  its  youths  the  means  of  Sitting  themselves  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  its  exalted  stations,  and  by  generous  encouragement  inspires 
them  to  train  themselves  for  a  career  of  usefulness  and  honor.  The  high- 
souled,  aspiring  young  men  of  our  land!  Tl  ey  are  the  jewels  of  the 
Republic,  the  repository  of  its  hopes,  the  defenders  of  its  destiny!  It  is 
for  them  to  be  the  benefactors  of  the  age.  May  they  prove  faithful  to 
their  trust,  and  firm  in  noble  resolve  to  discharge  it  to  the  honor  and 
glory  of  their  country. 

But,  in  addition  to  public  usefulness,  educated  men  may  exert  a  most 
beneficial  private  influence.  They  may  elevate  the  social  standard  of 
morals  and  manners — give  tone  and  character  to  the  circles  in  which  they 
move — restrain  inclination  to  vice,  and  by  the  valued  encouragement  of 
their  approbation  promote  whatsoever  is  virtuous  and  good.  And  this 
private  influence  upon  the  masses  of  the  people  is  no  less  important  than 
powerful.  The  human  mind  is  inclined  to  be  subservient,  and  to  bow 
before  the  manifestation  of  superior  intelligence  and  virtue.  The  great 
mass  of  mind  requires  some  master  spirit  to  think  for  it,  and  furnish  it  a 
model  of  conduct.  Most  men  look  up,  for  guidance,  to  some  one  whose 
acquirements  and  virtues  have  attracted  their  attention.  Those  who  im- 
prove the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education  thus  become  lights  for  others 
to  follow,  leading  them  on  to  whatev  3r  is  for  social  improvement  and  the 
public  good. 

Our  peculiar  political  system  requires  elevating  and  virtuous  influences 
upon  the  masses.  With  us  every  man  is  repeatedly  called  upon  to  be- 
come an  active  and  equal  participant  in  the  rights  and  duties  of  the  body 
politic.  The  people  impress  their  character  upon  the  government  that 
emanates  from  them.  If  controlled  by  vicious  influences,  they  may  easily 
overturn  the  foundations  of  society;  and  uniortunately  such  influences  are 
seldom  wanting.  To  combat  them  in  the  private  as  well  as  the  public 
walks  of  life  is  a  duty  required  at  the  hands  of  educated  men.  All  that 
is  desirable  in  life  depends  upon  the  proper  management  of  the  feelings 
and  obligations  by  which  society  is  bound  together.  None  are  able  to 
appreciate  the  extreme  calamity  which  attends  the  disruption  of  social 
order,  until  they  have  experienced  its  misfortunes.  The  claims  of  afiec- 
tion — the  advantages  of  private  property — the  protection  of  life — and 
indeed,  every  blessing  which  renders  civilized  existence  more  desirable 
than  that  of  a  savage,  is  sacrificed  before  the  demon  of  social  discord. 


ADDRESS   OF  JOHN   POOL,   ESQ.  9 

The  responsibility  for  the  preservation  of  social  order  and  of  the  blessings 
of  political  and  religious  liberty,  rests  upon  those  who  have  enjoyed  supe- 
rior educational  advantages.  Let  the  appreciation  of  this,  stimulate  you 
in  your  efforts  to  advance  in  preparatory  attainment.  Duty,  patriotism  and 
interest  unite  in  urging  you  to  diligence.  With  manly  purpose  and 
cheerful  hearts,  may  you  push  on  to  the  realization  of  the  brilliant  hopes 
that  are  centered  in  you.  "A  youth  of  labor"  will  surely  be  crowned  by 
an  age  of  honor.  May  no  regret  for  opportunities  neglected  and  the  prime 
of  life  wasted,  hang  over  your  heads  to  cloud  declining  years,  and  haunt 
the  walks  of  after-life  with  phantoms  of  remorse  and  shame.  A  duty 
well  performed  is  no  less  a  blessing  to  ourselves  than  a  profit  to  others. 
Though  it  involve  the  sacrifice  of  present  ease  and  require  submission  to 
the  inconvenience  of  uncongenial  toil,  steady  perseverance  will  bring  a 
recompense  more  than  commensurate  with  all  the  privations  endured,  in 
the  unrivaled  pleasure  of  self-approbation,  and  the  consciousness  of  a  well 
acted  part  and  a  life  well  spent. 

These  considerations  of  duty  and  usefulness  have,  doubtless,  had  their 
due  weight  upon  your  conduct  while  here  preparing  yourselves  to  enter 
actively  upon  the  theatre  of  life.  But  there  is  another  view  perhaps 
more  closely  connected  with  your  individual  happiness,  which  should 
prompt  you  in  your  literary  labors.  You  must  expect  to  meet  in  your 
course  through  the  world,  with  disappointments  and  misfortunes.  They 
are  unfailing  incidents  of  earthly  existence.  No  heart  can  be  successfully 
nerved  against  their  depressing  influence.  Amid  them  all  there  is  no 
retreat,  apart  from  religion,  to  be  relied  upon  with  so  much  certainty  as 
that  which  every  man  may  prepare  and  possess  within  himself — a  clear 
conscience  and  the  resources  of  intellectual  enjoyment.  They  are  posses- 
sions of  which  no  man  can  deprive  him — above  the  contingencies  of  chance 
and  change — a  part  of  his  being — essentially  his,  by  virtue  of  no  human 
statute,  but  in  obedience  to  the  immutable  laws  of  Nature  and  of  Nature's 
God.  And  though  he  may  not,  as  suggested  by  Cicero,  carry  them  with 
him  as  a  personal  possession  into  the  realms  of  the  future  world,  yet  surely 
the  cultivation  of  the  intellect  partakes  of  divinity,  and  ennobles  and 
elevates  and  refines  that  wonderful  principle  within  us,  which  we  are 
taught  must  live  forever. 

A  taste  once  formed  for  literary  pursuits  is  of  priceless  value.  A  rich 
field  is  spread  before  the  votary,  and  he  is  invited  to  partake  of  the  refined 
pleasures  that  are  found  in  its  walks.  He  has  a  world  of  his  own  into 
which  he  may  retire,  when  pressed  too  hardly  by  the  stern  realities  of  that 
around  him.  It  is  peopled  with  the  brightest  creations  of  human  fancy  and 
decked  with  the  legacies  of  the  greatest  and  purest  minds  of  earth.  The 
present  may  be  set  aside  for  the  feelings  of  other  men  and  other  times. 
There   is  food  for  all  the  higher  emotions  and  impulses  of  the  heart,  to 


10  ADDRESS   OF  JOHN    POOL,   ESQ. 

entertain   and  please  wliile  it  enriches  with  the  accumulated  stores  of  the 
wisdom  of  ages. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  such  taste  has  not  been  more  generally 
diffused  in  this  country.  Its  beneficial  effects  would  soon  manifest  them- 
selves upon  the  character  of  our  people,  purifying  the  tone  of  conversa- 
tion— improving  social  intercourse,  and  elevating  the  standard  of  morals 
and  manners. 

In  your  course,  thus  far,  you  have  already  met  these  pleasures.  Your 
toils  have  been  enlivened  in  searching  out  half-hidden  gems  of  thought, 
and  your  weary  minds  refreshed  in  grasping  exalted  sentiments  and  elu- 
cidating beautiful  truths.  You  have  learned  that  even  upon  the  dreaded 
cliff  and  among  the  rough  rocks,  many  a  modest  little  rose  hides  its  blush- 
ing head — many  a  limpid  fountain  gushes  out  to  delight  the  traveller 
with  its  gentle  murmur — and  many  a  sylvan  grotto  invites  him  to  short 
repose  beneath  its  scented  shades.  In  learning  it  is  not  distance  but 
approach  that 

"Lends  enchantment  to  the  view, 

And  robes  the  mountain  in  its  azure  hue." 

Is  it  not  intellectual  feasting  to  read  with  understanding  the  classic 
writers  in  their  native  tongues,  and  without  an  interpreter  to  hold  com- 
munion with  the  illustrious  dead? — to  hear  the  very  accents  of  the 
matchless  eloquence  of  Athens  and  Rome — to  reverence  the  deep  philos- 
ophy of  Socrates,  or  listen  to  the  sweet  love-notes  of  Pindar  ? — to  appre- 
ciate  the  withering  sarcasm  of  Juvenal,  partake  of  the  heroic  enthusiasm  o£ 
Virgil,  and  revel  in  the  manly  beauties  of  Horace?  There  is  indeed  sub- 
limity in  thus  holding  converse  with  the  philosophers  and  orators  and 
poets  of  ancient  times — in  pondering  over  their  wisdom,  imbibing  their 
spirit,  loving  their  beauties,  and  becoming  familiar  with  their  emotions — 
until  we  feel  that  between  us  and  them,  there  has  scarcely  been 

"  A  single  earnest  throb 
Of  Time's  old  iron  heart." 

I  cannot  urge  upon  you  too  earnestly  the  practical  usefulness  of  culti-- 
vating  such  taste.  It  is  commenced  here,  and  should  be  pursued  through 
after  life  in  whatever  sphere  you  move,  as  the  most  delightful  and  satis- 
factory of  that  circle  of  innocent  pleasures  which  Addison  so  wisely 
recommends  us  to  enlarge.  It  improves  the  mind  and  refines  the  feelings, 
while  it  affords  the  most  satisfactory  recreation  amid  the  cares  and  toils 
of  life.  Vicious  habits  have  few  charms  for  the  man  who  delights  to 
spend  his  leisure  hours  in  pursuits  like  these — while  all  the  nobler  and 
higher  impulses  and  aims  find  ready  access  to  his  heart.  It  gives  addi- 
tional sweetness  to  the  joys  of  youth,  strengthens  the  worthy  purposes  of 
maturer  manhood,  and  consoles  declining  age  in  its  sober  walk  ''upon  the 
shores  of  that  great  ocean  it  must  sail  so  soon." 


ADDRESS   OF  JOHN   POOL,    ESQ.  11 

And,  because  more  particular  reference  has  been  made  to  manly  dut'e^, 
it  is  not  meant  to  be  intimated  that  the  same  training  and  taste  is  not 
equally  important  to  the  cultivated  lady.  Her  thorough  education  should 
tiot  be  -neglected^  Though  she  hope  not  to  amass  wealth  by  enterprise 
and  well-planned  speculation— nor  by  her  eloquence  to  command  the 
"applause  of  listening  Senates" — still,  she  may  have  her  reward  in  the 
sweet  pleasures  of  literary  pursuits  and  in  the  praise  of  a  well-ordered 
household. 

But  in  addressing  an  assembly  of  educated  young  men,  it  must  not  be 
overlooked  that  probablymany  among  them  are  ambitious  to  have  their  names 
enrolled  among  the  great  of  the  earth.  Looking  above  the  humbler  posi- 
tions in  life,  they  gaze  upon  the  dazzling  promises  of  fame,  rising  in  the 
dim  future,  and  inflaming  the  energies  of  the  soul  in  pursuit  of  the  exalted 
ends  which  the  day-dreams  of  imagination  present  as  attainable  realities. 
If  prompted  by  worthy  motives  this  ambition  merits  sympathy  and  en- 
couragement. The  young  are  too  often  taught  to  regard  such  impulses  as 
pointing  only  to  empty  visions,  deluding  their  followers  with  vain  hopes, 
ever  receding  on  approach,  and  making  the  heart  sick  with  repeated  dis- 
appointments. Such  may  be  the  experience  of  the  faint-hearted,  who 
grow  weary  by  the  way  and  loiter  and  turn  back.  But  there  are  number- 
less examples  teaching  a  different  lesson.  All  depends  upon  the  man 
himself.  Steady  perseverance  will  surmount  the  most  formidable  obsta- 
cles, and  difficulties  vanish  at  tie  tou:!h  of  diligent  application.  Success, 
though  withheld  for  a  time,  must  sooner  or  later  follow  in  the  train  of 
faithful  exertion. 

All  that  has  been  said  in  reference  to  mental  training  applies  with  still 
greater  force  to  him  who  would  press  after  the  rewards  of  successful  am- 
bition. His  mind  must  furnish  the  armor  and  the  weapons  for  the  con- 
flict. His  steel  must  be  tempered  in  the  furnace  of  self-denial,  and  bur- 
nished by  the  dreary  toil  of  many  a  midnight  watching.  The  temptations 
of  pleasure  and  ease  are  the  lurking  foes  that  hang  upon  his  way  and  seek 
to  surprise  him  at  every  turn.  His  visor  must  never  be  raised  at  their 
approach,  and  the  out-posts  of  thought  must  be  guarded  with  never- 
flagging  vigilance.  There  must  be  resistance  and  labor — a  constant 
bivouac  of  the  reason  and  will,  until  he  has  mastered  himself.  His  mind 
must,  indeed,  be  to  him  a  kingdom — a  kingdom,  in  which  an  iron  law  is 
administered  by  a  stern,  unflinching  judge — and  he  must  be  the  abso- 
lute despot,  whose  word  is  that  law,  and  whose  will  is  that  judge.  But 
when  he  is  once  seated  upon  his  intellectual  throne,  he  is  a  king  indeed — 

"  A  king  of  thought,  a  potentate, 
Of  glorious  spiritual  state — 
A  king  of  thought,  a  king  of  mind — 
Realms  unmapped  and  undefined — 
Crowned  by  God's  imperial  hand, 
Before  him  as  a  king  to  stand." 


12  ADDRESS  OF  JOHN  POOL,   ESQ, 

To  a  mind  thus  trained,  failure  can  scarcely  be  predicted  in  any  un- 
dertaking within  the  compass  of  human  means.  It  proceeds  with  such 
far-seeing  precision  and  force,  that  its  way  seems  paved  in  advance,  and 
circumstances  combine  to  favor  its  schemes.  What  seems  darkness  to 
others  becomes  light  on  its  approach— confusion  becomes  system,  and 
hazard  certainty.  Destiny  is  sometimes  credited  with  its  achievements  j 
and  indeed,  fortune  does  seem,  at  times,  conscious  of  a  master's  presence, 
changing  her  frowns  into  unexpected  and  almost  servile  smiles. 

It  matters  little  in  what  road  the  talents  of  a  man  thus  trained  are 
turned.  Usefulness  and  honor  are  before  him  in  every  direction.  The 
false  teachings  of  pretenders,  the  errors  of  ignorance,  and  the  designed 
innovations  and  abuses  of  selfish  schemers  are  everywhere  to  be  met  and 
reformed.  Theology,  science  and  general  literature,  and  the  learned  pro- 
fessions equally  invite  his  labors  and  hold  out  their  bright  promises  of 
reward.  I  offer  no  advice  in  the  choice  of  pursuits;  but  it  is  to  be  re- 
gretted, that  in  this  country,  political  aspirations  have  so  much  engrossed 
the  talent  of  youth  and  turned  it  from  other  fields  of  labor.  Under  our 
peculiar  political  system,  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  office  being  open 
to  every  grade  and  class,  early  ambition  has  been  blinded  to  the  more 
certain  and  durable  fame  attainable  in  other  pursuits.  Political  eminence 
and  fame  are  subject  to  the  detractions  of  calumny  and  the  misrepresenta- 
tions of  partizan  prejudice.  The  magic  powers  of  the  orator  are  limited  in 
their  operation,  and  his  renown  seldom  survives  the  changing  sentiments  of 
a  few  generations;  while  eminent  writers  in  theology,  law  and  general  liter- 
ature, hand  down  their  names  as  household  words  to  posterity,  and  the 
achievements  of  science  continue  for  ages  to  enlighten  and  improve  man- 
kind. If  the  inclination  of  the  best  talent  of  our  country  to  seek  the  po- 
litical arena,  as  the  theatre  of  its  exertions,  could  be  restrained,  it  would 
soon  remove  the  principal  defect  in  our  national  character.  Our  literary 
progress  has  not  been  commensurate  with  our  advancement  in  material 
greatness  and  political  weight.  It  presents  a  national  want,  and  those  who 
supply  it  will  secure  to  theinselves  undying  fame.  Our  country  has  been 
the  pioneer  in  those  great  principles  of  civil  right  which  now  characterize 
the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  we  must  trust  to  the  present  generation  of  as- 
piring young  men  to  attain  for  it  the  same  preeminence  in  other  things 
which  contribute  to  a  nation's  glory. 

The  fields  of  romance  and  poetry  offer  an  inviting  harvest.  Whoever 
takes  to  himself  the  first  position  of  American  genius,  in  this  branch  of 
literature,  will  acquire  a  name  as  bright  as  any  in  the  annals  of  the  world. 
And  why  may  not  America  have  a  place  as  elevated,  in  this  department, 
as  any  other  land?  She  has  as  much  to  inspire  the  imagination  and  kindle 
the  flame  of  the  Muses.  Her  mountains  are  unsurpassed  in  grandeur 
and  beauty — and  lovely  streams  flow  from  their  bosoms,  with  murmuring 


ADDRESS   OF  JOHN   POOL,   ESQ. 


13 


cadence  as  sweet  as  ever  lulled  the  Arcadian  shepherd  to  repose  or  min- 
gled with  the  soft  notes  of  his  pastoral  reed.  There  are  scenes  of  as 
glorious  deeds  as  heralds  ever  sounded  in  the  triumphal  procession  of  re- 
turning conquerors.  There  rural  loves  are  as  warm  and  pure.  The  an- 
gels who  visited,  near  Eden,  the  daughters  of  men,  found  no  lovelier 
spots  or  cooler  shades,  or  fairer  forms,  or  warmer  hearts.  They  are^all 
here,  inviting  a  minstrel  to  sing  their  praise.  And,  above  all,  liberty  has 
made  them  her  home,  and  having  erected  here  the  blessed  temple  of  her 
retreat,  awaits  some  bright  genius  to  arise  and  herald  the  enchantment  of 
her  new  abode. 

The  different  branches  of  science  have  their  peculiar  attractions.  In 
chemistry,  mathematics  and  sound  philosophy,  modern  advancement  has 
far  exceeded  the  wisdom  of  ancient  times.  England  and  other  countries 
have  run  up  a  record  of  immortal  names.  Let  us  rival  their  greatness, 
and  yield  to  them  no  longer  the  highest  places  in  the  temple  of  fame. 
Ambition  cannot  covet  a  renown  more  lasting  than  his  who  gains  emi- 
nence in  unlocking  the  mysterious  truths  of  nature.  In  this  we  can 
already  boast .  many  practical  achievements  which  have  conferred  real 
benefits  on  mankind,  openi||g  to  the  world  new  themes  of  investigation 
and  making  their  impress  upon  the  age.  But  much  remains  still  to  be 
done.  Geology  is  in  its  infancy,  and  scarce  emerging  from  the  unfoun- 
ded prejudices  with  which  its  early  revelations  were  received.  Many  are 
laboring  to  add  to  the  store  of  its  facts,  or  are  drawing  valuable  deduc- 
tions from  its  established  truths.  There  are  many  "favored  localities"  in 
this  country,  inviting  an  explorer  to  bring  them  to  the  attention  of  the 
world.  Intimately  connected  with  natural  history  and  comparative  anat- 
omy and  the  leading  principles  of  chemistry,  it  requires  much  acuteness  of 
perception,  close  observation  of  hidden  relations,  and  withal  the  most 
laborious  and  patient  research.  But  its  ultimate  development  promises 
such  an  insight  into  the  wonderful  history  of  the  earth,  with  all  its  myr- 
iad forms  of  life,  marking  the  beginning  and  end  of  measureless  periods 
and  recording  the  work  ®f  the  great  creative  hand  in  the  rise  and  fall  of 
species  and  dynasties  in  the  vegetable  and  animal  kingdom,  long  before 
the  human  intellect  shone  upon  the  scene,  that  it  may  well  challenge  the 
best  exertions  of  talent,  and  hold  out  to  the  successful  explorer  the  pros- 
pect of  renown  commensurate  with  civilization,  and  as  immortal  as  that 
of  the  hero  wearing  the  laurels  of  a  hundred  battles. 

But,  I  am  not  advising  the  choice  of  pursuits.  Every  man  must  con- 
sult his  inclination  and  the  leading  points  of  his  own  character.  If 
crowned  by  piety  and  other  requisite  virtues,  great  attainment  can  no- 
where be  more  worthily  employed  than  in  the  sublime  labors  of  the  pulpit 
and  its  incidental  duties.  The  mysteries  of  revelation  are  food  for  the 
closest  thought.     While  the  human  heart  is  inclined  to  evil;  there  will  be 


14  ADDRESS   OF   JOHN   POOL,   ESQ. 

tiecessity  for  the  best  efforts  of  thoroughly  trained  ability  to  enforce  those 
great  truths  upon  which  depends  the  welfare  of  nations,  no  less  than  of 
individuals.  Infidelity  assuming  milder  names,  will  continue  to  lurk  in 
high  places,  undermining  the  foundations  of  morality  and  sowing  the 
seeds  of  vice.  It  is  not  so  much  among  the  more  ignorant  classes;  for  there 
the  natural  impulses  of  the  heart  are  not  checked  by  that  skepticism 
which  too  often  attends  a  little  learning  half  mastered  and  falsely  under- 
stood. It  is  chiefly  among  those  who,  having  some  pretension  to  acquire- 
ments, have  yet  not  had  the  leisure  or  inclination  to  push  it  to  that  elevated 
point  from  which  the  surrounding  view  would  humble  them  at  the  utter  in- 
significance of  human  knowledge;  and  where  amid  the  floating  mists  and 
•the  infinity  of  incomprehensible  truths,  they  would  feel  the  necessity  for  a 
higher  hand  to  direct  and  guide : — where  bowing  before  visible  mysteries 
beyond  the  farthest  grasp  of  their  nature,  they  would  humbly  appreciate 
the  wisdom  which  has  revealed  so  much,  and  be  struck  with  wonder  and 
admiration  at  the  sublime  simplicity  by  which  it  is  brought  within  the 
compass  of  human  thought.  To  be  learned  only  to  that  point  where  con- 
ceit begets  doubts  of  all  things  beyond  its  reach,  is  equally  unfortunate 
to  the  man  himself  and  to  those  under  the  in^ence  of  his  fancied  eleva- 
tion. It  casts  upon  nature  a  pall  of  darkness,  hushing  its  struggling  sug- 
gestions and  leading  to  despondency  and  moral  ruin.  The  skepticism  of 
the  partially  learned  is  the  stronghold  to  be  attacked,  and  once  carried, 
infidelity  loses  its  respectability,  having  no  abode  but  in  the  heart  of  re- 
volting depravity,  or  in  the  baseless  visions  of  the  monomaniac's  dreams. 
The  man  of  well  trained  powers,  commanding  from  the  partially  learned 
attention  and  respect,  is  often  able  to  impress  them  with  sound  doctrine 
when  enforced  by  clear  reasoning  and  dressed  in  the  drapery  of  genius. 
He  may  expand  their  narrow  views  by  superior  learning,  and  by  logical 
precision  lead  them  up  to  a  purer  height,  where  the  appeals  of  eloquence 
and  the  force  of  his  character  may  open  a  way  for  the  holy  rays  of  truth 
and  reason.  True  greatness  can  have  no  nobler  purpose,  nor  one  requir- 
ing a  more  careful  cultivation  of  its  endowments.  What  can  exceed  the 
glory  of  him,  who,  having  trained  himself  with  much  labor,  and  having 
warred  with  vice  and  ignorance  and  laid  broad  and  deep  the  foundations 
of  purity  and  truth,  rests  from  his  toil,  to  exchange  the  crown  of  moral 
and  intellectual  splendor  which  he  has  won  in  this  world,  for  the  brighter 
icrown  promised  in  the  world  to  come  ? 

But  those  who  seek  eminence  in  this  country  look  principally  to  politi- 
cal elevation.  The  gates  of  honor  being  open  to  capability  and  virtue  in 
every  grade  of  life,  there  will  continue  to  be  many  aspirants.  Perhaps 
it  should  not  be  discouraged.  There  can  be  no  loftier  aim  than  a  place  among 
the  honored  rulers  of  a  nation  of  freemen — to  merit  their  honest  preference 
and  assist  in  directing  their  progress  to  national  greatness  and  prosperity. 


ADDRESS   OP  JOHN   POOL,    ESQ.  15' 

This  age  and  country  present  not  only  an  opportunity,  birt  an  actual  ffced  for 
the  exercise  of  the  highest  moral  and  intellectual  excellence  to  which  human 
nature  can  attain.  Prepare  then  to  deserve  the  confidence  of  your  country, 
and  let  no  consideration  ever  tempt  you  to  betray  it.  Be  ready  to  sacri- 
fice personal  ambition  to  public  duty.  Be  slovsr  to  give  ear  to  temporary 
excitements,  and  never  swerve  from  right  to  appease  the  threatening 
clamors  of  faction.  We  have  a  country  great  and  free ;  none  has  ever 
presented  a  career  so  glorious,  or  conferred  in  the  same  length  of  time  so 
many  blessings  upon  mankind.  The  influence  of  its  institutions  has 
spread  into  every  land  where  civilization  finds  a  home,  and  the  fruits  of  its 
industry  have  clothed  and  fed  suff"ering  millions.  The  oppressed  of  every 
land  stretch  their  arms  to  us,  and  prefer  for  our  welfare  their  earnest  peti- 
tions to  heaven.  Every  heart  that  throbs  in  a  human  bosom,  has  an  in- 
terest staked.  Our  past  is  bright  and  glorious — in  the  present  are  threaten- 
ing clouds — 'the  future  is  darkness.  Where  are  the  high-souled  youths 
in  whose  hearts  is  cherished  the  manly  purpose  to  train  themselves  in 
wisdom  and  virtue,  to  take  charge  of  that  future  and  gild  it  with  the 
light  of  the  past?  Their  names  shall  be  among  the  brightest  on  the 
scrolls  of  fame,  and  all  the  tongues  and  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  call 
them  blessed.  And  when  those  who  now  tread  the  scene  shall  have  passed 
away  and  left  to  your  keeping  the  precious  destiny  of  the  States  united 
and  free,  let  no  link  drop  from  that  golden  chain — cling  to  your  inheri- 
tance in  every  particle  of  the  soil  hallowed  by  the  blood  of  your  fathers, 
divide  not  their  renown,  for  it  is  yours,  and  acknowledge  no  banner  but 
that  which  reflects  from  its  stars  the  remembrance  of  their  glory. 

But  whatever  your  aim,  the  matter  of  first  importance  is  the  formation 
of  a  right  character.  The  only  sure  foundation  is  uncompromising  integ- 
rity. Whatever  is  built  upon  any  other,  will  be  undermined  by  the  cur- 
rents of  temptation,  or  overthrown  by  the  storms  of  passion.  The  seduc- 
tions of  temporary  interest  and  the  blandishments  of  vice  keep  their 
sleepless  vigils  to  entice  and  betray.  In  the  walks  of  private  life  cultivate 
the  social  virtues,  and  they  will  light  your  households  with  incalculable 
blessings.  If  you  tread  the  road  of  ambition,  bear  before  you  the  shield 
of  integrity  and  truth,  and  it  will  repel  the  assaults  of  your  enemies.  If 
misfortunes  befall  you,  the  proudest  consolation  is  a  clean  heart  and  an 
honor  untarnished.  Bear  ever  in  mind,  that  to  be  truly  great  or  useful 
or  happy,  we  must  be  truly  good.  Of  all  training,  the  best  is  the  training 
of  the  heart.  Intellectual  splendor  dies  with  the  things  of  earth,  but 
intellectual  purity  is  an  inheritance  for  eternity. 


^ 


